Protesters in Manhattan Beach call for Bruce’s Park compensation
Ja, an organizer for WestLA4BlackLives, leads chants at Bruce’s Park on Sunday. Photos
“No justice, no peace. If we don’t get it, shut it down,” protesters chanted at Bruce’s Park in Manhattan Beach on Sunday morning. Ja, an organizer with WestLA4BlackLives led the chants. She declined to give her last name because of safety concerns, she said.
Manhattan Beach residents and recent college graduates Reid Bryan and Jeremy C. (who declined to give his full last name) said they attended the rally to educate themselves on the Bruce’s Park controversy.
“I know the issue is complex, but something more needs to be done than simply put up a plaque,” Bryan said.
Kris Estrella, of Hermosa Beach, agreed.
“I understand that none of today’s Manhattan Beach residents were a part of the tragic Bruce family story. But today’s residents are benefiting from what was done. Some sort of compensation is due,” she said.
Bruce’s Park is composed of 30 beachside lots, between the ocean and Highland Avenue, which the City of Manhattan Beach acquired through eminent domain in 1924. Five of the lots were owned by Black families, including Willa and Charles Bruce who ran Bruce’s Lodge. The beach resort’s popularity with Blacks was the reason the city condemned the property..
The City recently created a commission to review how the city should respond to calls for compensation for descendants of the Bruces and the park’s other former owners. ER